Child & Family Connections
This office is available to provide support and services to your family about your child’s developmental milestones.
Meeting your child’s needs
Identify your priorities for your child and family
We are Child and Family Connections; our local office number is #15. We are here to empower your family and to help your child learn and overcome challenges. Your child’s brain and body are growing rapidly during the first three years of life. While all children need love and support to grow and learn, some children need a little extra help. Through your local Child and Family Connections office you will find an early intervention team to support your family and help your child reach their potential. Your Service Coordinator can answer your questions about your child’s development. They can help you decide if your child might benefit from an evaluation. Early Intervention support and services are paid by the early intervention program, your private health insurance, or public insurance such as Medicaid or All Kids.
If your child qualifies for the Early Intervention program, a team of early intervention providers and your CFC Service Coordinator will work with you to design a service plan. Planning and coordinating services for your eligible child and family are always free.
What are early intervention (EI) services?
Early Intervention services are designed to meet an infant’s or toddler’s needs in these areas of development:
- Physical (how your baby moves and explores)
- Cognitive (how your baby learns)
- Communication (how your baby lets you know what they need)
- Social-Emotional (how your baby engages with you and shows feelings)
- Adaptive (how your baby uses new skills)
If your child has delays in one of these areas your child may benefit from EI services.
Your child’s needs determine the number of services your family receives. Most families receive between one and three services. The number can very based on your child and family’s needs and priorities. As these change over time, the number of services can also change. Currently EI services may be conducted in one or more of the following areas:
- Assistive Technology / Aural Rehabilitation
- Audiology
- Developmental therapy / Special Instructions
- Family Training and support
- Health Consultation
- Medical Services (Only for diagnostic or evaluation purposes)
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Psychological / Counseling services
- Service Coordination
- Social Work
- Speech Language
- Transportation
- Vision
Who is on your service provider team is determined by your child and family needs.
For information on how to make a referral, please call the Child and Family Connections Referral Coordinator at 815 768-3730.
For a complete list of services and additional resources for families with young children, visit the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse at eiclearinghouse.org.
Child and Family Connections Family newsletters
For information on how to make a referral, please call the Child and Family Connections Referral Coordinator at (815) 768-3730:
Child and Family Connections #15 serves children and their families residing in Will, Grundy, Kankakee, and Lasalle Counties.
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Early Intervention Screening opportunities-
Developmental screenings provide parents and professionals with information on whether a child’s development is similar to children of the same age. Screenings cannot diagnose but can target areas of concern that may indicate further assessments. The screening tool used is called the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). It is a parent-completed tool that has the parent/caregiver answer questions regarding their child’s development.
To request a screening via phone or virtually:
- Call Child & Family Connections at 815-768-3813 or email cluzeniecki@svcincofil.org
- Take the Ages & Stages screening online at https://www.easterseals.com/mtffc/asq/
To schedule an in-person screening you can contact the following:
- Easterseals in Joliet, for developmental screening call 815-927-5471 or click link to register for a virtual birth-3 screening hosted by Jumpstart Home Visiting program at https://forms.gle/cvmqWayzk6w48Jr4A.
- On the second Friday of the month, Easterseals offers social work/mental health screenings.
- For walk-in screening, Governor State University/Family Development Center located at 1 University Parkway, University Park, IL 60484, offers birth-3 screenings the third Friday of the month from 9-11am.
- Jumpstart Home Visiting program in Bradley located at 515 E. North St., Bradley, IL 60914. Contact Tyler at treynolds@joliet.easterseals.com or call at 815-304-4106.
If you are looking for a screening for a child who is age 3 or over, please contact your local school district. School districts conduct screenings for children age 3-5 years. To determine the school district you reside in, go to the following website and enter your address https://www.greatschools.org/school-district-boundaries-map/.
